Loup-Garou
by Shoshie
Summary: Professor Lupin finds hostility after coming home from Hogwarts due to an article in the Daily Prophet.
1. Back Home

A/N:My first HP fanfic.Part 1 of I don't know how many.I wondered throughout the 4th book whatever happened to Lupin.So, I began this to explain his absence.I do not own any of these characters, they belong to the almighty J. K. Rowling.Don't sue me, I am flat broke after spending all my money holiday shopping. ;-P

Remus gazed up at the castle as his carriage pulled away.He sighed deeply.It had been so nice, so refreshing to be back at Hogwarts.Around every corner there was another memory.And then there was Harry.Just seeing him and his friends brought back so much.Remus could almost see personalities of past friends jump out at him.Not only did Harry's feature's matched James', but his persona as well.Ron was very much like Sirius, the joking and hot-tempered one.Hermione, well, to Remus, she seemed to be a female version of himself.Studious and always striving to make good marks.The voice of caution, but still able to join in the escapades once the warnings were voiced.Remus smiled wistfully at the castle as it finally faded from view.It was for the best that he was leaving, anyhow.He couldn't risk biting a student again, or worse, killing one.Suddenly, there was a small "pop" and the scenery switched from the Hogwarts grounds to Remus' neighborhood.

The carriage stopped in front of his house.As he stepped out, the small house looked almost foreign after nearly a year away."It's good to be home," murmured Remus to himself and paid the driver.The carriage disappeared.Remus broke the locking charm and walked inside.Everything was exactly as he left it before Hogwarts.Remus rubbed his temples in attempt to break the beginnings of a headache.He collapsed on the large, overstuffed couch as the aftereffects of the full moon began to set in._If I was at Hogwarts right now,_ he thought to himself, _I would be among friends, not alone like now.I would know where Sirius is at the moment, whether he's safe._Remus' eye caught the picture on the shelf of the Marauders the week after graduation.James rolled his eyes at Sirius who was making faces at the camera.Peter raised an eyebrow at the joking Padfoot.Remus' former self was nearly bent double with laughter.It was remarkable how much things had changed.Remus took and released a deep breath."Well isn't nostalgia wonderful," he muttered under his breath.Even though the James in the picture was four years senior to Harry, they looked incredibly alike."Ah well.It was all for the best."Remus gave in to the exhaustion, and slept.

Remus awoke the next morning to a soft hooting next to his bed.The owl flew out the window just as he got up.Remus grabbed the Daily Prophet off of the counter the owl had dropped it on.He walked, eyes half closed, into his room.Remus dropped the paper onto the bed, to be read later.Quickly, Remus changed into some clothes other than the ones he had worn for the past two days.As he stretched, something beside his bed, something caught his still-awakening eyes.The title of an article read "Dumbledore Hires Werewolf for Defense Professor"

"Damn," whispered Remus."Damn, damn, damn."

Remus made himself a pot of coffee in the kitchen.Only heaven knew how the people around him would react.He sat down at the kitchen table and read the article by (of course) Rita Skeeter.

**Albus Dumbledore is known as one of the greatest wizards of all time.Hundreds of children are put into his care each year to learn and to grow.However, one has no choice but to question the headmaster's judgment on his selection of a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year.For the past year, Remus Lupin, a past friend of Sirius Black and a werewolf, has taught the students of Hogwarts.Lupin resigned yesterday in shame as the student body discovered his secret.His resignation occurred the day after Lupin ran wild on the Hogwars grounds nearly biting a teacher and three students, including the famous Harry Potter.Whether Lupin has been aiding Sirius black into the castle remains to be discovered.**

Angrily, Lupin threw the paper down on the small, wood table."Bloody hell," he sighed.Remus rubbed the bridge of his nose at the beginnings of a headache._Calm, Remus,_ he told himself.

Remus took a deep breath and sat down on the overstuffed couch.He flipped through the ads.Zonko's.Broom repair.The Cauldron Cake Factory.So many choices, not so many appealing ones._Idiot_, spoke up a nasty little voice, _you'll be lucky if you even get those.No one wants a werewolf.Loup-garou can't be trusted, you know._

"Shut up," Lupin told the voice.His thoughts went back to the paper.Scribe.Potion mixer.Spell writer.Flourish and Blotts.Auror.

Lupin's eyes stared at the last prospect.Auror.Been there, done that.It didn't work, he thought bitterly.He remembered a day long ago, less than a year after graduation.

_The three friends sat nervously, waiting for the results of the Auror aptitude test they had just taken.They spoke excitedly about the adventures they'd have and made half-joking estimates of how many dark wizards they'd catch as a team, together.A middle-aged wizard in long, black ropes stuck his head into the room."Remus Lupin?" he asked._

__

_One of the young men stood up.Despite his broad smile, he had a gaunt look about him-the full moon occurred just two nights ago."Yes?"_

_ _

_"Please come with me."_

_ _

_Remus followed the man.As the door locked behind him, Remus looked up questioningly at the wizard, who seemed as if this was the last thing he wanted to be doing."I'll give it to you straight, Lupin.Your test shows you very qualified.You have extensive knowledge, especially when it comes to dark creatures."Remus' eyes lit up."However, we cannot hire you.The test also shows that, along with your abilities, you are also a-"_

_ _

_"Werewolf," said Remus, flatly._

_ _

_"Yes.It showed you were a_ loup-garou._I am sorry.It would be dangerous to hire someone with your...er...condition.If you really want to, we could put you in research and analysis.Other than that..."_

_ _

_Remus nodded and walked out.He continued past his friends and to the door.The people who had sat with Remus before stood up and rushed over to him._

_ _

_"Remus!Remus, wait up!" the shorter one called._

_ _

_Remus jerked his head around.He seemed very close to tears.All his years of being accepted at Hogwarts had caused Remus to forget the harsh sting of prejudice."I got a great score, they said.If it weren't for one thing, they would have hired me."_

_ _

_"And that would be..." asked the other friend, taller with dark features._

_ _

_"The fact that my kind are prone to running about the countryside eating people, Sirius." Remus replied, bitterness dripping from his voice._

_ _

_"What?!" cried the two friends.All eyes turned toward the three young wizards._

_ _

_Remus simply nodded."They suggested me for research.I decided not to accept that option."_

_ _

_"What will you do now, Moony?"_

_ _

_"I'm not quite sure, James.Maybe I'll do some teaching or something like that.Write a bit, maybe.I was always the studious one, y'know."_

_ _

_James and Sirius were about to comment, when the older wizard from before stuck his his head out the door again."The list of accepted Aurors; Sirius Black, Arabella Figg, Frank Longbottom, James Potter.Please come forward for information."_

_James and Sirius looked worriedly at Remus._

_ _

_"Go on.Seriously, you guys.You were made for this.I, obviously, wasn't."Remus pointed to his upper arm where the bite scar still remained."Go save the world from Voldemort.I'll do it in my own way.Go on.They're waiting for you."_

_ _

_"Alright, Moony.If you're okay with it."_

_ _

_"I am."_

_ _

_James and Sirius hesitated slightly before joining the other new Aurors at the door.Remus exited the building.At this time he allowed the tears so carefully held back to flow freely down his face.Remus apparated home, childhood taunts echoing in his ears._

Remus sighed.Damn, memories.He flipped the page over.One headline read "Black Still At Large."Remus smiled.At least Sirius was okay.And Remus needn't worry about Harry any more, now that they both knew Sirius was innocent.Yes, things would be okay; maybe no one would even overreact about the arti-

The shattering of glass interrupted Remus' train of thought.He ran into the living room, where the sound came from, and picked up the stone so carefully thrown through the window._You won't get any of _my_ children, werewolf!You'll die, first!_Remus bit his lip.So much for optimism.

It had begun. 


	2. Capture

A/N: Weeeeeeee.Part 2.Like always, not my characters.They all belong to J. K. Rowling, not me.Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda.On to the story.Oh!By the way, Loup-Garou is Latin for werewolf.At least I think it is…I got that from the book Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause *shruggles*If it's not, I'm making it. ^_^

_If you know what's good for you, you'll get out, filthy beast!_Remus glanced at the letter, and then chucked it into the fire.So far, there had been countless letters, none pleasant, from various people.Some were from halfway across the country, and some were from the surrounding areas.A few carried hexes.The only consolation had been the letters from Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid.Dumbledore and Sirius were probably too busy, and Harry had no access to the wizarding world during the summer.Even though the few friendly letters had helped some, they were brief and pulled Remus away from harsh reality only for a few moments.Unfortunately, that harsh reality was quickly getting worse.

The surrounding wizards had put anti-apparation charms around Remus' house.Someone was constantly watching the house, waiting for Remus to leave so that they could capture and kill the "dark creature."Remus' food supply was steadily diminishing, as well as his potion supply.The moon's shape grew rounder each night.If he couldn't get out to buy ingredients for the wolfsbane potion soon, Remus would be vulnerable to any wizard bearing a wand and silver.Sighing, Remus toyed with his wand.If he could only find some way to deactivate the charms, then he would be free to come and go as he pleased.Maybe a letter to Dumbledore…

_No!_ cried the voice in the corner of his mind (it seemed to come a lot these days)._You will not go groveling to Dumbledore for help.Haven't you lost enough pride?How much more do you need to loose before it's enough?Werewolves are just as capable as normal wizards, as you, of all people, should know._

__As much as the voice (his own mind?It seemed to contradict every thought Remus had) made a valid point, there seemed to be no way to get around the charms.He could always sneak out.As a Marauder he had done it enough.

_But it was never _you,_ Remus.Sirius, James, and even little Peter always snuck out.You were the sick one they were sneaking out to visit.At times, even weaker then Peter._

_I was not!_

_Of course you were, _the voice said, gleefully._The clichés have been said throughout your entire life."Remus, are you well?""Remus, you look pale.""Remus, maybe you should sit down.""Remus, what's wrong?Are you ill?"Are you sure that Peter was the weak one in your group?You know they would all still be here if it weren't for you.The only reason you weren't the Secret Keeper was because Sirius thought _you_ were the spy.Even your closest friend couldn't help but suspect the werewolf._

_Stop it!It's not true…_

_Then why is it hurting you?If it's not true, then why won't you leave?Why do you keep yourself prisoner in your own house?_

_Because…_

_Yes?_

_Because…_

_I'm waiting._

Remus Lupin made up his mind.Tonight he would end the siege and get supplies.

Around one in the morning, Remus snatched his wand.Once he got out of the house, he would be able to apparate to Diagon Alley.However, he would need to escape without attracting the attention of his prejudiced, yet dangerous, neighbors.Remus sighed.Stealth had never been his strong point.Figuring out the correct spell, providing the knowledge, research, and excuses had always been his job among the Marauders, but never stealth.He cracked the door open and peered out.No one in direct sight.The moon glowed in the darkness.It seemed to shine right on him.Remus crept out the door, trying desperately to stay in the shadows.Just a little bit further, and he could apparate to safety…

A swift movement to the right."_Stupefy_!"Remus dodged the curse and pointed his wand at his attacker."_Expelliarmus!"_The curse missed by an inch._Damn_, thought Remus, _James was always the best at duels._Remus tried apparating, but was still in the parameters of the anti-apparation charms.He would have run for it, except for one slight problem: other wizards had arrived.Quite suddenly, Remus was surrounded."_Petrificus Totalus!_"Remus' legs and arms snapped together, and he fell backward onto the hard ground.

The wizards leaning over him smiled cruelly."That's better._Stupefy!_"All went black as Remus fell into unconsciousness. 

Remus awoke.He tested his limbs to find that the wizards had removed the full body-bind curse.The room was dark, but there was still enough light for Remus to be able to see outlines and movements.From the gloomy feel of the room, it was somebody's cellar.A small, high window showed the night sky and three quarter moon.In seven days Remus would transform into a wolf that acted by instinct alone without the wolfsbane potion.That is, if his captors allowed Remus to live that long._Why do they hate me, so? _Remus asked the sky.

_Humans hate what they don't understand.You know that._

_But I _am _human._

_You're something more._

_Then why do I feel like something less?_

_Your own fault._

_Me?_

_Of course, you._

_But why?_

_Because humans hate what they don't understand._

_I thought I'm not human._

_I never said that._

_Why do you torment me?Why do you hate me?_

_I don't hate you.I _am _you._

Remus curled up in the corner and attempted to fall sleep, not sure if he would live to see dawn.

Not more than ten minutes later, the door burst open only to slam shut again.Remus stirred in reflex, then went limp, feigning sleep.Voices yelled outside the door.

"If you destroy him, we could get tried as murderers!They could search this house and you _know_ what they would find!Do you want to go to Azkaban or become rich?"A man's voice, cruel and uncaring.Just the sound of it gave Remus chills.

"No one would know or care.He's a nobody.And who in their right mind would care about a werewolf?"A woman's, this time.The same creepy kind of voice; though, while the man's was calm and uncaring, hers came close to hysterical.

"Who would care?Are you insane?This man taught at Hogwarts.Obviously, Dumbledore knows him.Perhaps _he_ would care.In the old days we could take care of unfaithful werewolves, but the Master is gone.There is no one to protect us, now."

"But how can we be sure he won't escape in the dead of night and report us to the Ministry?Or kill us?"

"He won't.I'll put him under the Imperius curse.Even if he fights, he'll be weak after the full moon.It will be a while before he can defend himself.Besides, I have his wand.He won't do anything.Don't worry."

The woman's voice turned wistful. "I wish Master had succeeded.The old days would be back and we could kill anyone or anything without fear."

"Yes, but they're not.And I do not wish to go through all that with the Ministry, again.Though, it wasn't hard fooling that idiotic excuse for a minister."

"Yes, I suppose you're right.At least we'll be rich.Werewolf fur and the like is rare, nowadays.We can charge plenty and restock each full moon."

"Yes."The door opened and the man stuck his head through.Remus quickly shut his eyes and kept his breathing shallow."We should go back upstairs."The man snorted."Stupid creature's still asleep.He has no chance resisting us."

The door shut for a final time. Remus shuddered.These people were obviously dark wizards.Master had to be Voldemort."Great," Remus muttered to himself."Just bloody wonderful.Starve and die in my own house or be a prisoner to dark wizards.The choices life gives you."Remus looked up at the window again.Seven days, a week until the full moon.No wand, no means of escape._If only werewolves could become animagi, _mused Remus.He sighed.No sense dwelling on what could be, or what if things were different.Besides, everyone knew metamorphic creatures couldn't add on another metamorphosis.It'd be insane, not to mention dangerous, to try.Remus yawned.Maybe he could get his wand back, somehow.But tomorrow, not tonight.Remus yawned once more before giving in to the exhaustion, and then slept.

Two days passed slowly.Remus had yet to meet the witch and wizard holding him captive.He passed the time looking out the small window, thinking of plans (none all too feasible), and reminiscing.One memory kept coming back: a cold January Saturday in the middle of the friends' third year…

_Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew burst into the common room, Sirius running in first, followed by a shivering Peter.Remus Lupin and James Potter looked up, grinning, from their chess game._

_"Cold, are you?" asked James._

_Peter nodded.Sirius merely glared at his two friends for daring to be warm._

_"You know, Sirius, if you set off dungbombs in Filch's office in the middle of the day simply because you 'get the urge,' most likely you _will _get caught."_

_"Shut up, Remus," muttered Sirius as he collapsed into a chair near the fireplace._

_"No, thank you.This is way to much fun after you bragged about being able to pull any prank better than any of us without getting caught."_

_James laughed."Yeah.And I did the dungbomb thing…how many years ago, Sirius?"_

_When Sirius refused to answer, Remus piped up."I think it was two, James!"_

_Sirius mumbled something under his breath._

_"What was that, Sirius?" asked Remus._

_"First off, you're both enjoying this far too much.Secondly, I _would_ have pulled it off, if it weren't for Peter getting so freaked out by a little adventure.'Sirius, we're going to get caught!''We're going to be expelled for this!''Sirius, I think I here Mrs. Norris.No, wait, it's only someone talking downstairs.'"_

_James and Remus laughed hysterically, almost falling out of their chairs.Peter's face turned red with embarrassment, shame, or some combination of the two. _

_"And what was Filch's exciting punishment?" asked James._

_"Shoveling all of the paths outside _without _magic."Sirius rubbed his hands together and blew into them."I'm _still_ defrosting."_

_"Not surprised," said James, "It must be colder than Azkaban out there."_

_"Azkaban?" asked Remus with interest.Having always been treated as a fragile creature that could break with the slightest touch by his parents, Remus Lupin knew little of the nastier aspects of magic._

_"Yeah.Wizard prison.Guarded by these creatures called dementors," answered James._

_"What do they do?"_

_"They suck all happiness out of a person.People who have had contact with them say that they get a feeling of coldness whenever a dementor is in the room.Hence, colder than Azkaban.A statement," James looked out the frost-covered window, "I can easily agree with."_

_Sirius gave an involuntary shiver."I'd never want to go there.Just the thought of them freaks me out."Remus nodded, understanding.The fact that dementors frightened Sirius meant that dementors must incredibly evil creatures.Sirius who didn't even flinch when he found out that Remus was a werewolf.Sirius who taunted Snape in defense of his friends._Must ask the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor about them, _Remus noted mentally._

_"Hey, Moony!Your turn.Though the game is probably already pretty much done, considering my lack in chess skill."James gave a lopsided grin._

_The two continued the game with no more mention of dementors or any other sort of dark creature._

_ _

Remus blinked rapidly to stop the tears that threatened to fall._Where had the innocence gone?And when?The most likely answer was the night of Jame's and Lily's death, but that wasn't it.That night had merely been the climax; naiveté had been slowly dissipating before then._Remus sighed.Most likely he would never know.Remus picked up a small stick that had probably fallen into the cellar through the window.He toyed with it a bit until the small bit of wood snapped in half._Would they do this to my wand?Simply snap it in half?_Remus threw the two halves off to the side, disgusted with his own self-pity.A sudden noise made Remus turn his head to the door.A man stepped out.

"Hello, werewolf."His voice matched the one from before, the man that wanted to sell Remus' fur.The disgust in his voice that suggested that a werewolf was lower than dirt struck Remus as hard as a slap in the face.Anger burned in Remus' chest against this person that served evil.This man was every person who rejected him, every person who had hurt him, every person that had acted as though he were less than human, every person who had automatically assumed him to be untrustworthy because of an accident that occurred in Remus' youth.And now, this vile excuse for a human dared to enslave him, to sell his flesh for profit.Without a word, Remus Lupin stood up, eyes blazing in anger, ready to fight."My, my.What a temper.We may have our work cut out for us controlling you."Remus merely continued his glare."Or perhaps not._Imperio!_" 

_Walk forward.Just walk.It's not that hard_, said the voice, though different from before.

_No_, Remus thought, desperately._This won't work on me!_

_Just step.One foot, then the next._

_No!_

_MOVE!_

_NO!_

__"Stop!It won't work on me!"

The man looked slightly disappointed."Fine, then.We can play for a bit._Cruicio!_"

Remus screamed.Pain flared through his body like nothing ever felt before.The pain felt with this curse was worse than any trasformation, any self-inflicted would experienced by Remus Lupin in all his years as a werewolf.So many words for pain, but none did this justice.It was undescribable beyond the simple statement that this was torture.

Then, quickly as it had come, the pain was gone leaving Remus collapsed on the ground aching, shivering, and retching from the memory."Now, let's try this again," said the man, "_Imperio!_"

There was a floating sensation, the absence of so much pain.Remus' muscles relaxed and embraced the non-feeling despite his mind screaming for the opposite.The man's lips, if not his eyes, smiled at the subdued Remus Lupin."There now, much be—"He cut off his words as Remus lifted his head and pulled himself up to his knees.Cold fury showed on the werewolf's face as he fought against the Imperius Curse.As he slowly gained more ground, the man pressed his lips together into a thin line, displaying his annoyance.Remus staggered as the curse was thrown off.He stood up straight in defiance.

The man clenched his jaw."You tire me.I will get you to submit.It is only a matter of time.Why don't you just make it easy on yourself?

"What?Did you think I would simply submit to the might of the Dark Lord?Pathetic."Remus launched himself at the wizard, all too late.

"_Stupefy!_"The curse was solid and hit its mark.Remus Lupin crumpled on the hard floor, unconscious.


	3. The Full Moon

A/N- I was wrong, it's not Latin, it's French

[A/N]- I was wrong, it's not Latin, it's French.Sorry.*grins sheepishly*Ah well.I don't claim to be an expert at languages.If you haven't guessed, in the wizarding world I made it the technical term for werewolf.Poor Remus, I'm so cruel to him.The worst is yet to come.Some new characters, another memory, and a full moon.Again, not my world, not my character, although I wish they were.^_^Please don't sue me.

Remus sat, shivering, in the corner of the dank cellar, cold despite the sun shining outside.It was the day of the full moon.From Remus' stomach came a sharp pang of hunger.The few slices of stale bread that the dark wizards threw down to him were in no way sufficient for a werewolf just before the full moon, a time when his body had the most need for energy.Remus swallowed from reflex, his throat parched from lack of water.Transformations were difficult under any circumstance.To transform without wolfsbane potion, confined in the cellar, half-starved would be…well… to put it simply, hell.Remus shuddered, though this time not from the cold.

The door opened and a hand threw in something Remus couldn't make out in the darkness.Probably the evening crumbs that constituted dinner.Remus merely stared at the scraps.His wolf side screamed at him to get up and devour the hard bread, but the man was still in control.For now.A small part of Remus' mind wondered where Sirius was.Had he found some safe place to hide?Was he warm?Was he able to keep out of reach of the dementors?

Remus' stomach growled, annoyed with its owner.Remus gave in to instinct and stood up, stretching.He walked over to the bread and picked it up.Remus walked back over to the corner and sat back down.He broke off a piece of bread and nibbled on it.It tasted like cardboard, and Remus fought the urge to gag.He forced down the rest, quickly.A rat ran across the floor.It seemed to taunt him with its freedom.Remus looked out the window again._Just when you think you can't be any lower…_ Remus thought._Although, this is fairly rock bottom.A prisoner for who I am, something I had no control over.Probably going to starve to death, simply because I was stupid enough as a child to go wandering after dark, despite my parents wishes.And now…_

_I always knew I would die young.Surprised it lasted this long.Most werewolves die young, either from being hunted down, or starving because of lack of a job.No wonder so many went over to Voldemort._

_Damn, this is boring.I wonder what Sirius does during the day.Of course, he's an animagus.He can just change and walk around whenever he wants._

__Remus yawned._Maybe the best thing would be to sleep.Yes.Sleep is good._Remus curled up and drifted off.

Remus awoke and let out a yelp of pain.His skin felt like pins and needles as fur got ready to sprout.His head pounded in time with the throbbing in his limbs.Every muscle and bone seemed to ache.He looked out the window to see the darkness illuminated by the full moon._It never gets any better, does it?_ Remus thought.He let out a low moan of pain that turned into a howl as his vocal chords changed into increasingly lupine ones.He felt the bones shift and change painfully and the organ twist around creating a nauseating feeling.The fur now nearly covered his entire body.As muscle piled on the sleek body of the wolf, Remus' clothing ripped and tore.Remus recognized the sound in the corner of his mind, but it was a distant thought.The wolf was overcoming the human.And then it was done.

***

Leila glared at her husband who returned her stare with the calm, lazy look of a snake about to strike.It finally occurred to her that Cyrus was insane.Completely and totally insane.He deserved to be in St. Mungo's.Of course, he was also fairly good with the Dark Arts.Lord Voldemort had taught him well.Leila knew all too well the extent of his abilities, as well as his temper.Cyrus Reishan disdained disobedience, and punished it with cruelty.He made sure that Leila knew this, and yet Cyrus was going too far, this time.Who in their right mind would willingly enter a room with a werewolf?

"And why should I go in first, Cyrus?" Leila said between gritted teeth.

A cruel smile played on Cyrus' lips."Don't tell me you're afraid of a weakened werewolf."His voice was smooth, low, and deadly calm."We put in all the proper ingredients into its food.It won't harm a hair on your head, my dear."

"Then why won't you do it if you're so sure?" Leila muttered under her breath."Coward."

The smile disappeared from Cyrus' face.His nearly black eyes flickered."What did you say, my dear?"His voice retained the same silkiness, but there was an edge to it that wasn't there before.

"I said nothing of importance, _dear_."She emphasized the pet name he used when attempting to control her.

"I repeat, Leila, _what did you say_!"He nearly shouted the last part. 

"And I said nothing!" Leila yelled back.

"Never talk to me with that level of disrespect!_Crucio_!"

Leila screamed in pain.She bent over double and clenched her fists in agony.It felt as if she were being skinned alive or burned everywhere at once.She dropped to her knees and collapsed on her side, curled up.Cyrus lifted his wand and the pain stop, but the memory lingered.Tears leaked from her eyes and her muscles twitched from shock.Cyrus bent down on one knee and leaned over Leila."Never call me "coward" again, _dear_."He rose and kicked her viciously in the ribs."Now get up.It's getting late."He swept out of the room.Leila took a few shuddered breaths before following Cyrus into the next room.As she walked she wondered how she managed to fall in love with the cruel man that was Cyrus Reishan.

Cyrus was leaning against the heavy wooden cellar door.He shook his man of brown hair out of his eyes.Cyrus' fingers ran down the sharp knife of pure silver he held in his left hand."Ready, Leila?" he asked, daring her to respond negatively.Leila stuck out her chin in defiance and made a gesture for him to move.With a smirk he cleared the door.

Leila took a deep breath.She could hear the snarling, growling, and baying of the beast below._God help me,_ she whispered in the corner of her mind._What am I thinking?God doesn't help the wives of Death Eaters._Leila opened the door with the shaking hand and descended into the darkness of the cellar.The snarling stopped as the werewolf found the scent of the approaching humans._Ah, nice.We also made the oh-so-intelligent mistake of not feeding it enough.It'll be hungry.Wonderful._The creaky steps made chills go down her spine.As she cleared the last step with Cyrus behind her, Leila heard the low growl to her left.Leila whipped her head around as the werewolf leaped."_Stupify!_" she yelled.She saw the flash of gray that collapsed at her feet.Because it was a magical creature, the werewolf was not fully unconscious, however it was incapacitated.It whimpered in pain.

"Come on," she yelled over to her husband.And more quietly, "Let's get this over with."

Cyrus walked over, the smirk still on his face."At least you're good for something."He handed her the knife.Hands shaking, Leila knelt down beside the werewolf.It was shaking.As she made the first snip, it jerked violently.Leila jumped.Cyrus glared at her."Keep cutting."Leila took a deep breath and nodded, handing the silver-gray fur to her husband.As Leila resumed her cutting, the werewolf didn't jerk anymore, but continued to shake.It let out a soft whimper.Still, Leila continued to cut, trying not to pierce the werewolf's skin.Finally, after what seemed like forever, it was done.Leila stood up, gathering the pieces of fur.As she handed them to Cyrus, Leila couldn't help but look down at the werewolf's body.It had almost no fur left on that side.It looked at her in what would have been sadness…if wolves could show emotion.But it looked at her.It looked _at her_.Leila shivered.The eyes looked so human.She shook her head to clear it.It was way too late.

"Leila.Come on to bed."

Leila realized that while she had been thinking about stupid beasts, Cyrus had already walked up the stairs and out the door."Yes.I'm coming."She ran upstairs.

***

As the first ray of sunlight hit Remus' body, he stirred.Groaning in pain at the dull ache that ran through every muscle, as well as his brain, Remus sat up and rubbed his eyes.As his brain cleared, memories from the night flashed through his mind.They weren't as clear as they were normally, due to the lack of wolfsbane potion.Remus shuddered.He was just a beast to these people.Merely a means of getting rich.But as the woman's eyes flashed in his memory, Remus saw something more.She had tried not to hurt him.Remus couldn't help but wonder if she felt remorse at what she had done.

_And why would she?Remember, you're just an animal to her.If she feels any guilt, it's because she hurt an _animal_, not because she hurt you._

Again, Remus shuddered, and tried to push away the voice.He sighed.It probably was just his imagination.The mind sees what it wants to when it's desperate.No, there was no way she felt any type of emotion towards him.The only people who did were either dead or in no position to help._Why did it all have to go away? _Remus wondered._Why did my luck have to change so drastically in one night?How did the best night of the night turn into the worst?_For the full moon had indeed once been the best night of the month.The Marauders spent days planning where to go.They didn't care that he was a werewolf.They embraced it, even from the beginning…

_As Remus stepped out of the Gryffindor common room, a hand snatched the sleeve of his robe.Remus whipped his head around to face the person."James!What are you doing?Let go of me!"_

_James grinned broadly at his friend."Shh.We have to show you something.Come on."_

_Remus groaned, preparing himself for one of James and Sirius' strange schemes."What, did you tie up Snape again?I told you, I don't feel like helping you get out of detention, again."_

_"No, it's nothing like that.It's…come on.I can't tell you out here, I have to _show_ you."_

_"Is this going to make me want to kill you, James?"_

_"Well…"_

_"James…"_

_"To be honest, Moony, probably at first.But once you find out our plans, I'm sure you'll get just as excited and forget all about any nasty murderous rage you might have."_

_"Are you—" Remus was interrupted by another yank on his sleeve._

_"Shh!Come on.In here.We can't have anyone see us."The two young wizards walked into a deserted classroom in some forgotten corridor or another._

_"James, what did you—ah!"Quite suddenly a huge, black dog jumped on Remus, nearly knocking him over."James!"_

_"Down, Padfoot!Bad dog."The animal growled at James, but backed off.Then it grinned (or what looked very much like a grin) at Remus._

_"Sorry, James," came a squeaky voice from the back."I tried to talk him out of it, but, you know…" Peter Pettigrew looked down at his feet, his face a bright red._

_This new bit of information confused Remus even more."What?_Talk _him out of it?_James?Peter?What did you guys do?Where'd you find him?And where's Sirius in all of this?Some twisted plan, he's got to be here somewhere."

_"Oh, he is," said James with a wide grin."Sirius?Mind coming out of your true nature for a bit?"_

_Suddenly, instead of the dog sitting in front of James, there stood Sirius Black, grin as big, if not bigger, than James'.He walked over to Remus."Hey, Moony, what's up?"Remus opened his mouth, but no words came out."What, speechless?Ah well, there's a first time for everything.James, care to explain what's what?"_

_Despite the strangeness of the situation, Remus couldn't help but feel a bit perturbed at Sirius' comment._I don't stop talking?Like he's the one to comment, _Remus thought, sardonically._

_"Sure.Remus, you've heard of the animagus transformation, right?"_

_"Of course.We learned about it in transfiguration.Why do you ask?"James turned to look at Sirius pointedly."What?Oh!" exclaimed Remus as it hit him."But…how?They actually let Sirius register?"_

_"Well, not really.We just kinda skipped that part."Remus rolled his eyes."Anyway, it's not just Sirius, I did it, too.And Peter."The last part of the statement hit Remus like a slap in the face.They had all done it.It must have taken years, but that had all done it without telling him._All because I'm a werewolf_, thought Remus._

_"Why…?" he choked out._

_"We didn't keep it a secret because you couldn't transform, if that's what you think.It's us, Moony, remember?We didn't tell you because we wanted it to be a surprise."_

_"Well it worked.Congratulations," Remus said, bitterly._

_"No, you don't understand.This was all done for you."_

_"What?How?"_

_"Well if you'll let me actually explain."Remus grinned sheepishly as James glared at him._

_"You're too slow James," broke in Sirius."Here's the deal.We figured it must be pretty lonely in Shrieking Shack.So we wanted to help."_

_"But we can't be up there as humans when you're a wolf."_

_"So we decided to accompany you in animal form."_

_Remus raised an eyebrow skeptically."You did all of this.Even you?"He looked at Peter who squeaked and nodded.For some reason Peter always seemed afraid.Maybe he was frightened by werewolf stories.Remus grinned."So what's this plan?"_

_"Well, I'm a cute loveable dog, as you know," Sirius began.Remus James and Peter raised an eyebrow at that."What?"Sirius shook his head is mock frustration."James is a stag.We figured that two of us should be bigger animals so that if we had to, we could overcome the werewolf."Remus nodded.They had planned this very thoroughly.Of course, they had had three years."Peter's a rat, so that he can be small enough to press the knob on the whomping willow.It's perfect.We can do whatever we want, and we have a night to do it.What do you say?"_

_"I'm in.When do we start planning for next month?" said Remus._

_Even Peter had to grin._

_ _

The crash of some heavy object from upstairs broke Remus from his reminiscing, bringing him back to painful reality.He heard some shouting._What a perfect couple_, Remus thought sarcastically._Not at all like Lily and James._He sighed and stared out the window (an activity Remus seemed to do a lot of, lately).The shouting stopped and someone stomped towards the cellar door.Remus turned to see why.The door opened, something flew in, and then it closed.Upon further inspection, Remus found it to be a very stale slice of bread that his captors enjoyed serving him for breakfast._On the plus side,_ Remus thought as he nibbled on the crust, _they couldn't afford to have me die._

The shouting restarted, and this time Remus blocked it out.He stretched and paced for a bit, then decided to rest again, exhausted from the transformation of the night before.

He awoke to someone poking his shoulder.Remus opened his eyes, groggily to see that he had slept through the day.From the placement of the moon and stars, it was already very late at night.Remus wasn't surprised.It was an often enough occurrence if the transformation had been hard enough.And last night had been awful.He blinked at the woman staring down at him.He couldn't see her very well in the blackness of the cellar, and her dark features didn't help any.Her blue eyes stood out in the gloom.She put a finger to her lips.

"Come on, werewolf.You're coming with me."Remus stared blankly._Why?What more do they want with me?They've taken everything they want_, He though with shame._But of course I'm just an animal, to them.Why should they care about the thoughts of a beast?_"I said move," growled the woman.If you don't, then I can simply leave you here to be starved and tortured.Eventually killed.No come with me."Remus needed no further motivation.The two wizards crept out the door silently as the night surrounding them.

[A/N]

Hehehe.Wonder where she's taking him.We'll find out in the last chapter.But we will see more of Cyrus Reishan.The question comes, who is the true monster?Thanks to everyone who reviewed and shtuff.You guys are awesome.Also thanks to Ruby and Jammer.Jammer looked over part 2 and Ruby looked over this part.*huggles them both*I'm going to try to write chapter four in the next two weeks, but I'll be busy.After that I'm leaving for six weeks, so nothing will be posted after June 24 for six weeks.Don't even bother checking, 'cause it's not going to happen.More action in the next part, don't worry.*looks at her story length*These chapters keep getting longer.But whatever.Thankee for reading this far.Please review.I will be forever grateful.


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